JC Raulston
Arboretum e-Update

December 2006

In This Issue

The
Perfect Gift for Your Friends and Family

What to give the person who has everything? A brick that
will be placed in the walkway at the JC Raulston Arboretum. For just
$100.00, give the gift that will last a lifetime. Brick
applications are available on our Web site or contact Autumn Keck at autumn_keck@ncsu.edu
or (919) 513-3826 for more information. – Autumn Keck, Associate Director
of Membership and Fund-raising Events

Featured Plant – December

Add some drama to your garden this month with Mahonia ×media 'Winter
Sun'Mahonia ×media 'Winter
Sun' is often taken for granted and overlooked until the winter season
arrives. One of December's many surprises, it lights up the garden
with bright, fragrant, yellow flower spikes. In spring, expect an encore
performance, as its clusters of small, blue berries attract birds to the garden. These
berry clusters give rise to its common name, grapeholly.

Mahonia is a member of the barberry family, Berberidaceae. Mahonia ×media is
a hybrid between two Asian species, Japanese mahonia (Mahonia
japonica) and
the Burmese grapeholly (Mahonialomariifolia). The
Slieve Donard Nursery in Northern Ireland selected the cultivar, 'Winter
Sun'. The genus Mahonia, received its name from botanist
Thomas Nuttall in 1818. He gave this name in honor of the nineteenth
century American horticulturist, Bernard McMahon (1775-1816).

There are three groups of Mahonia ×media 'Winter
Sun' plantings at the JC Raulston Arboretum, but my favorite is easily spotted
as you enter the Winter Garden. Here, you will find three mature multi-stemmed
specimens grouped together that were planted in 1995 (Bed E19a).

This medium size, evergreen shrub is slow growing, but ultimately
can reach 8' to 15' tall and 8' to 10' wide. Evergreen
leaves are pinnate, glossy, spiny, and thick and help to provide structure
in the garden year-round. Plant Mahonia ×media 'Winter
Sun' in your garden in a site with rich, well-drained soil, and partial shade,
and you will enjoy it for many years to come.

December
Calendar

NC State Floriculture is part of a national poinsettia program that tests
poinsettia cultivars to determine which ones are best for consumers and for
producers. You will have a chance to see these cultivars yourself and vote
for your favorites. Over 110 different cultivars of poinsettias – including
new experimental cultivars – will be on display. Stop by to see our
famous 9' tall poinsettia tree and other displays. Help us decide which
poinsettias are North Carolina's favorites.

"A Virtual Tour of the Oak Genus" presented
by Guy
Sternberg, Starhill Forest Arboretum, Petersburg, Illinois. There are perhaps
500 or more oak species on Earth – no one knows exactly. Many of them
are found in remote, fascinating parts of the world, and many of these cannot
be seen in cultivation outside their native habitats. Studying them must be
done on their terms, in their homelands. Join International Oak Society past
president Guy Sternberg for a travelogue of oak excursions to Central America,
Mexico, eastern and western Europe, and eastern and western Asia.

"The Artistic Morphology of Trees" presented
by Guy Sternberg, Starhill Forest Arboretum, Petersburg, Illinois. Feel the
inspiration of experiencing trees in a new light. They are the most dominant
elements and structural bones of our outdoor environment, and their thoughtful
installation or preservation is the single most important thing we do as
garden designers and managers. Learn how to see trees and to use and appreciate
their artistic features more effectively, season by season and under various
conditions.

Please visit the "Calendar
of Events" section on the JCRA Web site for a complete listing of
our upcoming programs.

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